Wednesday, December 22, 2010

I like the shape of a crystal lampshade, so I purchase them, which this is...lets walk through the process of reverse painting with glass on glass in traditional techniques for museum quality. Using a special mix of paint with fine ground glass and an added amount of flux so the kiln can embed these elixirs at a lower temperature keeping my shades shape, we begin with what is called the line drawing. This is painted on the inside of the shade in the reverse pattern of your intended drawing.

I am showing just 2 sides of the shade. The fist one is a pioneer family in front of their sod house...the second image is on the trail setting up camp for supper...

this becomes the first kiln firing..

Next I totally black matte the inside of the shade.

This shows the inside totally black...then with scrub brushes and picks I gently remove the matted paint to give details to the images.

This takes hours depending on how much detail you wish to portray...I am keeping it simple since the images are not going to have a lot of designs on clothes and that sort of thing they used homespun fabrics and basic basic living utensils

The letters Yous view are portraying a homestead certified ticket which would give the homesteader their location to stop...also a portion of journal recording the trip...here you can see how the scrubbed areas respond to the matte being removed...this is the same portion above "on the trail stopping for supper"

and the pioneer family in front of their sod house...

tomorrow this fires in the kiln and sets the matte process into the glass..next is color!

Friday, December 17, 2010

these are the last 2 commissions that were to be done for Christmas! the 2 small bevel panels were shipped out today...and will arrive Thursday...close!

then the grandma platters...the first set we chose glass that plainly wanted to misbehave...which had me nervous over the whole project..what if the next glass does this too..(it can happen)

so client came and reselected a different sheet for these granny and Nana plattersthe children's hands were traced and then i made a stencil of their hands

first i used frits and powders but the purple and pink colors that were to represent the girls were to close to the base composition of the substrate glassso i ended up having to use enamels..which still set the tone of the color..even tho the bottom plate looks as if both of the pairs of hands are purplethe bigger hands are pink..just where i took the picture absorbed the true colorsthese are lead free enamels

the irregular edge lends to a unique arty appeal that says i ordered this just for youi think you are special!

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

"Wave Of Conflict" is a traditionally reverse painted lampshade. (in lit state)I did this one back in the 90's and it won an award at the Museum show I had it entered. Back in Va. I am showing you this to prepare you for the next few postings that you can follow along for how I get to the finished product.

First of all, I use finely ground grass with mineral and ores mixed to a texture that is like paint. With a brush I lay the design onto the inside of the shade.(think reverse of how you traditionally might paint a picture)this much is fired in the kiln...for painting a crystal such as this shade I have to use low-firing mixtures..technically more flux is added...the temps I am taking this to are no higher than 1100 or my crystal will cave on me.(yes it happened)

Next step is I matte the inside of the shade...A black "paint" is mixed up then put totally over the inside of the shadeeverything gets covered up...then I slowly brush the matte away with special stippling brushes that will lend the texture and subtle shading to my imagesafter MANY hours of brush away step...the shade gets fired again.

Then each color I decide to use on the images and backgrounds get scheduled as each color matures at a different temperature. So highest temps first and so on...

The lampshade you will watch grow is about the homesteaders moving west. This shade is designated for a museum showing in OK with the Chisolm Trail group..you can see the link over to the right of this post.Check it out some mighty fine artist are part of this group.

The show is in March ...so I have some work to be doing and fast...Right after Christmas I leave for Texas...and this needs to be done...or I have to drive my ownself down and back..and I am not much on this chore...soI am opting for being DONE!

More explanations will be given for each step as we follow the Homesteadersalong their trail to being a reverse shade...

You are more than a little eccentric, and you're apt to keep very unusual habits.
Whether you're a night owl, living in a commune, or taking a vow of silence - you like to experiment with your lifestyle.
Expressing your individuality is important to you, and you often lie awake in bed thinking about the world and your place in it.
You enjoy staying home, but that doesn't mean you're a hermit. You also appreciate quality time with family and close friends.